The joy of cooking meets the science of nutrition. The result? Optimal health, says one hospital.

University of Vermont Medical Center: Bowl of roasted delicata squash

Baked Delicata squash with lime butter. Kale breakfast bowl with Greek yogurt, walnuts and blueberries. Melon with maple syrup, mint and ginger. Recipes for these delicious dishes are shared online not by a gourmet cook or food blogger but by the University of Vermont Medical Center Culinary Medicine team.

The Culinary Medicine program combines “the joy of cooking with the science of nutrition to help patients, employees and the community achieve optimal health.” The program team includes registered dieticians, professional chefs and a certified horticulture therapist, all of whom are passionate about educating others on nutrition, cooking and gardening and on strengthening local, sustainable food systems.

Leah Pryor, a former chef who is now executive chef manager for UVM Medical Center and co-founder of the Culinary Medicine program, observed that people are “constantly flooded with teaching kitchens and food programs and messages to eat well and live healthy and cook and eat, but no one actually helps us do it well with health in mind.” The UVM Medical Center program is centered on “the symbiotic relationship between a chef and a dietician,” she added.

The program offers a wide variety of learning experiences and resources for the community:

  • Cooking and nutrition classes — all free — focus on the “sensory experience” of food, as well as the nutritional benefits.
  • UVM’s “What’s That Food?” YouTube video series highlights simple and cost-effective ways for people to include more plant-based foods in their diet, showcasing seasonal foods and produce that people can grow in their own backyard, patio or window box.
  • The Learning Garden — a teaching and community garden at UVM Medical Center’s Fanny Allen campus — offers a course where people learn to plant and harvest everything from produce to honey.
  • Online resources include downloadable recipe cards, articles that highlight nutrition and cooking, and personal stories shared by patients and providers.

Alison Precourt, a pediatric dietician and certified diabetes educator on the Culinary Medicine team, said what she loves most about the program is “it helps reset the family dynamic and encourage people to make healthy choices that then bring people back to the table, slow down and connect with the planet and with one another.”

Learn more about the UVM Medical Center Culinary Medicine program.

 

Resources on the Role of Hospitals